Meet Jordan McDonald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan McDonald.

Hi Jordan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I became interested in music mainly due to the fact that I was surrounded by it ever since I was born. Music was always playing or being performed in my house. My older brother and sister were involved in musical theater, so I followed in their footsteps when I was eight years old. A few years later, I got the itch to try drums out, and I kept doing it all the way through high school. During that time, I also taught myself how to play a little guitar and ukulele. I remember I was always writing and rhyming words, but I never thought anything of it. It was just my form of “doodling.” After high school, I wanted to focus more on acting, so at 18 years old, I moved to New York and attended The William Esper 2-year conservatory program. It was in those 2 years that I learned how to truly find my creative self and rid my mind of limitations. I connected with like-minded artists in the program, and in our free time, we began to freestyle over beats we’d find on YouTube. I became obsessed with it to the point of it becoming a daily routine. After that, it didn’t take long for me to start converting my writing into lyrics. I purchased a USB mic, ripped a beat off of YouTube, and recorded my first song on GarageBand… it sounded TERRIBLE. I didn’t understand why! That is the moment I discovered what mixing was. From then on, I invested all the time I had into learning how to mix from tutorials on YouTube. Once I started to get better at mixing and recording, my friends began to ask me to record and mix them… then their friends started reaching out to me as well. Before I knew it, I was charging people out of my bedroom to record and mix their track. Things were moving pretty well for me. My own music was booking me local shows and I had developed a solid clientele of artists I was recording and mixing for. Then, when COVID hit, everything came to a complete standstill. 

After a few months of doing nothing, I decided to use the time to take my producing and mixing more seriously. I enrolled in an online music production school called Point Blank. 

When covid started to ease up, my wife and I decided to move out to LA. After about a year of getting settled, I made a solid connection with a music manager, and he got me connected with Adam Berg (grammy nominated producer and owner of Unity Studios) 

Adam brought me in to be a part of the team at Unity Studios, and I’ve been working there for the past year and a half as a songwriter, engineer, and producer. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve struggled with depression in my past. Music became my outlet. I love being open to creating whatever I feel and allowing the energy to translate into my lyrics or instrumentals. I feel like I don’t have to run away or ignore anything when I make music. It allows me to be honest with myself and confront my emotions. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I would say I specialize the most in songwriting. I have a great ability to get in touch with an artist and view the world from their state of mind. When I have the opportunity, I spend a lot of the time getting to know them on a deeper level and do my best to always listen to everything they say. Sometimes, artists will literally come out and say the perfect lyric without even realizing it. It’s my job to catch those moments and put them on paper. I enjoy reverse engineering a track. Starting with the ending lyrics of the verse/bridge/chorus and then working my way up to the beginning of the section. I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to make other creators in the room their most comfortable self. I believe the best music is made when the environment is rich with confidence and freedom. When that space is created, no ideas are bad ideas. Everything is a spark of inspiration for a new way of thinking. I’m most proud of being able to collaborate with legendary producer/songwriter Richard Rudolph. It has been an unbelievable experience to work with the person that wrote the songs I have been singing ever since I was a child. 

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The Artist Way. ProducerGrind Podcast 

Nic Mira YouTube Videos 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unitystudiosla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrdnmcdonald/